Lubricant cartridge and method of filling lubricant compressors by means thereof



April 22, 1924. 3,491,612

J. C. MARTIN. JR D METHOD OF FILLING LUBRICANT GOMPRESSORS LUBRICANTCARTRIDGE AN BY MEANS THEREOF Filed Feb. 12 1923 Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

JESSE C. MARTIN, JR., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFOIA.

LUBRICANT CARTRIDGE AND METHOD OF FILLING LUBRICANT COMPRESSORS BY MEANSTHEREOF.

Application filed February 12, 1923. Serial No. 618,641.

To all whom-it may concern: Be it known that I, JESSE C. MARTI I, J r.,

a, citizen of the- United States, residing at San Francisco, in thecounty of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Lubricant Cartridges and Methods ofFilling Lubricant Compressors by Means Thereof, of which the followingis a specification.

The invention relates to a receptacle for lubricants, and has as anobject the PIOVI- sion of a simple and inexpensive form of receptaclethat may be readily applled to a grease gun or com ressor of ordinarytype for the purpose 0 filling thecom ressor,

and may be quickly removed from t e compressor when empty, or if onlypartly empty after usage, because of its novel construction, may becapped and laid away for further use.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a lubricant tubeor cartridge in which grease, non-fluid oil, orvthe like, may bepackaged for distribution and sale and which after being once used mayon account of its cheapness be discarded; a further object of theinvention is the provision of a packa e for grease which will be cleanto use, 0 cap to manufacture, and which will prevent contamination ofthe grease by grit or foreign matter until the grease is placed in thecompressor tor delivery to the bearings; a further ob ect of theinvention is the provision of a process of filling grease guns whichavoids any possibility of smearing the hands of the user and which maybe practiced'with great convenience.

Illustrative embodiments of the article provided by the presentinvention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-q Figure 1 isa side elevation of a completely filled lubricant tube partly in sectionshowing the tube with piston end and capped end as prepared incommercial form for packing and shipment in accordance with theprinciples of my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3' are a side and end elevation, respectively, of a. stickor usher rod used for extruding the lubricant rom the tube.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a lubricant compressor partly in sectionwith compressor screw and piston clear down and ready to be filled withlubricant upon removal of screw cap on barrel.

Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal section of the lubricant tube jointedagainst the open end of the compressor barrel, the barrel bein shownpartly in longitudinal section an full of lubricant, the complete chargeof lubricant in the tube having been ushed out of the tube into. thecompressor y the pusher rod, which is shown in full and resting in thetube.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6, 6, Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal section of the lubricant tube jointedagainst the open end of the compressor barrel, the barrel bein shownpartly in longitudinal section and about half full of lubricant, asdenoted by cross section of same, before the application of thelubricant tube, and completely filled with new lubricant extruded fromthe tube into the barrel against the old lubricant, the pusher rod beingshown in full in position in the tube.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the lubricant tube as removed fromthe filled compressor barrel of Fig. 7, the open end of the tube beingcapped or covered.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of a complete lubricant compressorassembled with the filled compressor barrel of Fig.7.

The compressor as illustrated in the drawlngs comprises a tubuiar barrel10 having one end closed, being provided with means -for attachment tothe part to be lubricated thereby in a Well known manner.

The filling end of the gun as shown comprises a screw threaded extremity11 upon which a cap 12 is adapted to engage. The cap 12 is provided withan opemng 13, internally screw threaded to receive the screwthreadedstem14 of a rod carrying a piston 95 15 provided with a cup leather 16 tomake a tight joint with the interior of the barrel 10 of the gun. Ahandle isshown at 17 for revolution of the stem 14, all as is commonlyfound in practice.

A cheap tube is shown in the form of a shell 18, preferably formed ofpaper or straw-board which has an external diameter substantially equalto the internal diameter of the barrel 10. The length of the cartridge305 18 is preferably such that its contents will be the same as, orslightly less than sufiicient to fill, the barre? 10. One end of thetube 18 is provided with a piston or plunger 19 forming a tight closuretherefor, pref- M0 erably made of wood or other inexpensive material.The tube 18 is completely filled with grease or other lubricant againstthe piston 19, to its opposite open end, where the cap 20 of tin orpressed paper material, preferably dome shaped to better house the endof the tube after use, fits over the end of the tube 18 to prevent theexit of lubricant therefrom A slot or recess 21 is provided at thecapped end of the tube 18, this slot forming a vent upon application ofthe tube 18 to the compressor barrel 10, toremove the air therefrom andpermit of ready filling of thd barrel without the latter becoming airbound during a filling operation. A rod or pusher of inexpensive woodmaterial shown in the present instance as turned, although it ma bemilled rectangular or square in section to effect chea ness, is providedof size to readily fit in tu e 18, without binding, and of length sothat when the piston 19 is-pushed to the extreme end of the tube 18 bythe rod 22, the end of the rod. will be substantially flush with the endof the tube, while the piston 19 will extend beyond the opposite end ofthe tube a short distance, as indicated in Fig. 5, to entirely clear thetube of lubricant and yet not push the piston 19 through the tube intothe lubricant of the compressor barrel so that it is required to beremoved by the hands, which is particularly objectionable on ac count ofsmearing grease on the hands of the user. The piston 19 is also set in ashort distance from the end of the tube 18, as at 23, when the grease orlubricant is filled therein acting as a starter or guide for theintroduction of pusher rod 22.

In the ractice of my invention the tube 18 is pre'erably made of such adiameter that upon the introduction of its open lubricant end into theopen end of the compressor 10, a joint is formed as at 24, Figs. 5 and7, by the slight compression of the paper or fibre tube against theharder or metallic compressor barrel, although it is obvious that otherjoint means between the end of the grease tube and com ressor can bemade equally satisfactory, wit out departing from the principles of theinvention. The presence of the slot 21 assists in permitting the slightcompression of the tube, thereby furthering the formation of a tightjoint at 24.

By the formation of a joint between the tube and the compressor barrelthe lubricant extruded or pushed from the tube into the compressorbarrel is prevented from passing back to waste, overcoming any smearingof the operators hands, eliminating expense in lubricant wastage, aswell as saving time in cleaning both tube and com ressor barrel after afilling operation. In t e practice of the present form of my inventionas shown in Fi 5 and 7, during a filling operation, the tu e 18 ispressed into the barrel 10, and

anaemia the pusher rod 22 is brought against the piston 19. .By' nowmoving the piston with the rod the lubricant is forced out of the tube18 into the compressor barrel 10, and

as the lubricant enters the barrel the air in the 'barrel is forced outthrough the vent 21. It will be noted that the vent 21 is made tocommunicate with the interior of the barrel. The oncoming greasecontinues to fill the barrel while the air is expelled until the barrelis finally full, the grease or lubricant being brought against the endof the tube, at which time upon further movement of piston 19, by pusherrod 22, the pressure of the lubricant breaks the joint between the tubeand the compressor barrel by pressure against the annular end of thetube, and the tube is withdrawn from the filled compressor barrel. Theloosening of the tube from the barrel is readily noticeable in the handsof the operator.

It will be noted that in the present form of compressor barrelillustrated, the joint at 23 between the tube and barrel is made a shortdistance from the end on the inside of the barrel. This provides thatupon removal of the tube a clearance or space in the end of the barrelis formed, permitting the piston 19 of the compressor to readily enterwithout the necessity of grease removal from the barrel, which iswasteful and objectionable to the user. It is also desired to point outthat in some forms of lubricants, through their relatively hi herviscosity, upon removal of the tube 18 rom barrel 10, a slight amount of'lubricant is brought away on the end of the tube, as shown in Fig. 8,and for this reason the domed cap 20 is preferably provided as a cover,not necessitating that the operator touch the end of the grease tubewhich would smear case on his hands even if he did not desire to scraoff this small amount of surplus grease into the clearance end of thecompressor barrel, as provided for the compressor piston 19. Thelubricant tube 10 can be conserved and used over again if desired, beingmade relatively cheap but substantial for the service. in such caserefilling of the tubes is accomplished by pushing the piston 19 back'toits original end of the tube by pusher rod 22, inserting the lubricantas originally and capping the end of the tube with cover 20, in themanner shown in Fig. 1.

Minor changes may be made in the physical embodiment of the inventionwithout departing from its spirit.

What I claim is:

1. A lubricant cartridge, for filling a grease gun comprising, acylinder having an internal diameter less than that of the ease gun andan external diameter at one end slightly greater than the internaldiameter of the grease gun to be filled, said and being compressiblewhereby it may be forced, a short distance only in comparison with itstotal length, within the end of the gun forming a tight joint therewith,the' internal diameter of the cylinder being such that the slug oflubricant extruded may allow air to escape past the same, and vent meanscarried by the engaging end of the cartridge to permit escape of airvfrom the gun during the filling operation.

2. A lubricant cartridge for filling a grease gun comprising a cylinderhaving an internal'diameter less than that of the grease gun and anexternal diameter at one end slightly greater than the internal diameterof the gun to be filled, said end having a venti slot at the surface tobe engaged with tfie gun whereby to make the said end more readilycompressible vand to vent air from the gun during the filling operation,the diameter of the end of the cylinder and its capability to becompressed being such as to be adapted to enter slightly within the endof the gun and form a tight joint therewith, and the internal diameterof the cylinder being such that the slug of lubricant extruded may allowair to escape to the vent.

JESSE C. MARTIN, JR.

